Iraq Parliament Approves National-Unity Government

Iraq’s parliament approved the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who vowed to pursue national reconciliation, after nine months of post-election wrangling.

Al-Maliki told parliament he kept the defense, interior and national security posts and distributed seven portfolios to other ministers until an agreement with political groups is reached on candidates for the jobs. Lawmakers approved a lineup of 35 nominees including a new oil minister and three deputy prime ministers representing the country’s main communities -- the majority Shiite Muslims, the Sunni Muslims and the Kurds.